Football Australia and the PFA are in crisis talks over an ongoing pay dispute with national teams

Crisis talks are taking place between Football Australia and the Matildas over an ongoing pay dispute, as tension reaching ‘boiling point.’

Football Australia appears headed for crisis talks with the players union over frustration in the Matildas camp, with concerns players are in the dark regarding their pay for an upcoming tournament in America.

A source close to the issue said the matter had reached a “boiling point” and players had described the situation as a “distraction” and “not befitting of a high-performance environment”.

It has been a decade since the Matildas and FA were at loggerheads over pay – the last incident in 2015 ended with the Matildas going on a two-month strike right before a scheduled tour of the USA.

The source said it all centred around the new CBA – signed in 2023 – which moved the Matildas from premeditated payment tiers to the same revenue share model as the Socceroos.

This dispute also applies to the men’s national team but they aren’t due to play again until March.

An ongoing pay dispute means the Matildas are unaware how much they will be paid for the upcoming international window. Picture: Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Professional Football’s Australia declined to comment due to “it being an ongoing matter”.

A Football Australia spokesman said the dispute was not in regards to the terms of the CBA.

“We are engaged in discussions around the ongoing operational execution of the CBA to continue its smooth implementation,” the spokesman said.

“Football Australia is a proud and long-standing partner of the PFA, and we remain committed to working together with the PFA and the players to grow the game’s revenues, strengthen its commercial future, and provide an optimal high-performance environment for our national team.”

A source said the issue had been ongoing since July with players left wondering ahead of each national team camp how much they will be paid.

Despite the financial year being halfway through, the FA and PFA are in dispute over what payments should be made to players for the remainder of the year.

The source said one of the biggest issues is what percentage of what each sponsor pays FA is then passed on to the national team pool for the players to divide.

It is understood PFA and FA held talks in Sydney last week in an attempt to come to an agreement.

None was reached meaning players have no idea how much they will earn for each match or the year, including the SheBelieves Cup in America later this month.

The deal was supposed to be a win-win situation. It puts an incentive on players to improve their football and growth of the Matildas brand – as they get to take a share of the profits.

Unlike the tiered contract system used in the previous CBA this move means there is no limit to how much a player could earn.

Football Australia CEO James Johnson called the new CBA a “good deal” back in 2023. Picture: Richard Walker

At the time Football Australia CEO James Johnson said it was a good deal for both parties.

“It’s a good deal for the players because they’ll get paid and be rewarded for the work that they’re doing. They’re doing the work on the pitch, we’ve seen that over the past twelve months,” Johnson said when the deal was agreed to in 2023.

“There are more commercial windows that are built into this agreement, which means we’re going to be able to grow the economy of Football Australia, and the players as partners will be compensated.

“Importantly, we’ll fix a budget of national team-generated revenue, and if we exceed that number each year, then a higher share – a higher percentage of the revenue – goes back to the players.”

But the source said no “fixed budget for team-generated revenue” had been provided.

The Matildas are due to go into camp in the USA in two weeks with the tournament kicking off on February 24.

Originally published as Football Australia and the PFA are in crisis talks over an ongoing pay dispute with national teams